As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to re-shape the topography of our lives, many of us have struggled with the challenges of our 'new normal' – whether it's isolation brought on by lockdown restrictions, or the sense that aspirations for the future have had to be put off indefinitely. The organisers of the sākihiwē festival, however, saw a unique opportunity to not only adapt to these strange circumstances, but to further their cause of supporting Indigenous artists and communities beyond the limitations of geography.

Honour Song – a showcase produced and curated by the sākihiwē festival, in partnership with the High Commission of Canada in the UK – features a series of digital exchanges between up-and-coming Inuit, First Nations and Métis musicians, and the pioneering artists who came before them. Featuring the likes of iskwē and Kinnie Starr (Tue 20 Oct), PIQSIQ and Susan Aglukark (Tue 3 Nov), Elisapie and Sugluk (Tue 17 Nov) and William Prince's tribute to his father (Tue 1 Dec), each performance allows the artists to share what they have in common, but also reflect upon the diversity of Indigenous communities across Canada, and what has changed from one generation to the next.

Based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the sākihiwē festival is an annual celebration that seeks to bring the arts to divested communities in the area, helping families connect with Indigenous music and culture, as well as nurturing and promoting Indigenous talent. Like many festivals around the world this year, the pandemic forced the sākihiwē festival to take their programme online this past August. Despite the steep learning curve, organisers quickly realised there was incredible potential in this new digital format. After connecting with the High Commission of Canada in the UK over the summer, the sākihiwē team set to work on compiling a roster of artists that would best showcase the rich diversity of Indigenous talent that Canada has to offer.

'Honour Song is a very new project for us as an organisation,' says Alan Greyeyes, the Director of the sākihiwē festival and a member of the Peguis First Nation. 'It was definitely an online broadcast from the start, and now this partnership [with the High Commission] gives us the ability to not only reach new audiences and extend the support that we're able to provide for Indigenous artists in Canada, but it gives us a chance to test and implement new production ideas.'

Indeed, the digital format of Honour Song not only allows artists and audiences to connect during this period of social isolation, but its unique staging of archival footage, conversation and music will allow for a greater historical contextualisation of where these artists and communities are working from. 'I'm expecting a number of really thought-provoking conversations,' says Greyeyes. 'As an Indigenous person in Canada, we're still reconnecting with our language, cultures, philosophies and world views, and coming to understand that just because we're Indigenous people to North America, doesn't mean that we're all the same. We have different world views, philosophies, arts and sciences. It's going to be a learning experience for myself and definitely people from overseas who haven't dug into Inuit, First Nation and Métis culture in the past.'

This historical background will be especially vital to a non-Canadian audience, who may not be aware of Canada's colonial legacy; nor the brutality of the residential school system, which continues to reverberate through Indigenous communities; and the discrimination that many Indigenous people still face today. 'That's the goal of the sākihiwē festival,' says Greyeyes. 'To challenge stereotypes and show Canadians that we are just as diverse as their loved ones. We have just as many possibilities and we deserve just as much justice and support.'

An important part of that healing begins with helping Indigenous people reconnect with their history, and the arts have played a vital role in this process. 'It's interesting to see how Indigenous artists have used the arts to express their experiences and to explore the footsteps that have been left by their ancestors,' says Greyeyes. But unfortunately, many Indigenous artists still face extraordinary challenges when it comes to accessing creative opportunities or building a career in the arts, which Greyeyes attributes in no small part to the intergenerational ruptures left behind by the residential schools. 'It was a programme designed to destroy our families,' he says. 'I keep coming back to the idea of our families not having as much [emotional and financial] support [to give], because a lot of our generation was raised by parents who didn't have parents, and in turn they often don't know how to be parents either.'

Luckily, things are changing. Greyeyes notes the growing support from the public sector in supporting Indigenous arts, and the Canadian Indigenous Peoples Radio Channel on Sirius XM, which helps bring royalties directly to Indigenous artists. 'The Canada Council for the Arts is recognising the need for equity, and also the fact that Inuit, First Nation and Métis arts only exist here in Canada,' says Greyeyes. 'If they stop supporting country or folk music, those genres would still thrive overseas. But throat singing, powwow music or hand drum singers only exist here and that's what makes Canada unique, so I believe Indigenous arts definitely deserve that public support.'

A vital component of Honour Song, however, is paying tribute to the previous generation of artists who did not receive the same financial support or exposure given to contemporary Indigenous artists, but helped pave the way to this progress. 'A lot of these trailblazers came up just performing for their home communities oftentimes, or smaller markets. It's only in the last ten years that we have more Indigenous headliners like A Tribe Called Red, Tanya Tagaq, Elisapie and Snotty Nose Rez Kids. It's an opportunity for these artists to give back to these artists who have blazed a lot of trails on their behalf.'

'I wish we could do more for the trailblazers in our community because they had to deal with a lot more racism than we did,' Greyeyes continues. 'Their words were thought provoking and their music is still moving and we're all here today because of them.'

Honour Songs not only looks to the past, but also the future. When asked about his hopes for the emergent artists, and how he thinks their success might benefit Indigenous communities as a whole, Greyeyes pauses, then laughs. 'I remember being at the Remix Project in Toronto, which is an incubator programme for excellence in the arts for kids from diverse backgrounds,' he says. 'And there's a mantra on the wall that says "Get Rich and Make Change."' He laughs again. 'I don't know – richness and wealth in different Indigenous nations has different connotations and feelings, but that's what I would love to see.'

But it's an indisputable fact that financial stability can empower families, communities and generations. 'The more strength we give to these artists, the stronger their families become. After this, maybe in the next five, ten or fifteen years, we will see another wave of incredible Indigenous artists who have even more to share with the world. Who have an even greater understanding of their traditions, their cultural ceremonies, their languages and their philosophies.'

Once they're able to share those perspectives with the world, Greyeyes asserts, it'll be paradigm-shifting. 'Once [our communities are] healthy, we can extend those feelings and supports outwards as well. It's our role as Indigenous peoples to take the lead on a number of things. For instance, for a long time our festival has been championing the need for gender balance in all our programming. Everything we do in the arts extends to showing our Canadian counterparts that there is a better way to do things.'

In this grim day and age, a better way forward is very much needed – and Greyeyes makes a compelling point that this path may be found in the strength and diversity of Indigenous traditions, which Honour Song will platform to the world. 'It makes the front of my brain tingle when I think about these new ideas, these new ways of looking at the world,' he says excitedly. 'All of us are on social media all day and every day, and it often feels like the official language of social media is hate. I think we definitely need more philosophies, more world views, more people coming from the perspective of love. We're going to discover more of that, and the stronger these families become, the more Indigenous people and Indigenous artists will be able to offer the world.'

In closing, HE Janice Charette, High Commission for Canada in the UK, said: 'I am delighted that Canada House is part of this unique opportunity to bring UK audiences a taste of the incredible diversity and creative talent of Inuit, First Nations and Métis musicians in Canada.'

Information about Honour Song can be found at sakihiwe.ca.

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